1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image taking apparatus that obtains an image of an object through an image taking optical system and generates image data representing the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image taking optical system provided in an image taking apparatus includes a focus lens and a zoom lens that are required to be moved along an optical axis. Moving such lenses independently requires lens driving units each with a motor and a driving shaft that are provided for the respective lenses, resulting in the enlarged lens barrel in which the lens driving units are incorporated.
In order to miniaturize the lens barrel, there have been proposed a technique in which two driving shafts provided in the respective two lens driving units are integrated into one driving shaft so as to be used in common (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. 8-292358, 2002-350709, and 2004-4321).
However, according to the above-mentioned technique, the driving shaft should be coaxial, and/or a switching mechanism such as a clutch must be provided at a part of the driving shaft, which makes the structure of the lens driving unit complicated.
Incidentally, a large number of small, light and thin-designed digital cameras have recently been released. Such digital cameras can be made thin by employing a refractive optical system. The refractive optical system enables a lens barrel to be housed compactly inside the body of the camera, avoiding such a structure that the lens barrel extends outward, and thus facilitating the effective use of the above technique.